It makes for interesting reading, defining issues that will be important
in wrestling with the nitty-gritty as the national park idea progresses.

The class divided into teams to study the seven-county Loess Hills area
from a variety of viewpoints: geology, topography, waters, soils, vegetation,
wildlife, demographics, tourism and more. The three member "soils"
team, for example, focused on a problem that demands attention in any use
of the big hills:

"The Loess Hills have great potential for being made into a
National Park because of their uniqueness, but, because of their fragility,
they also have great potential for being destroyed....

"Steep slopes are susceptible to erosion, or soil loss, when
grading changes take place. This makes proper planning for construction
of support services like roads and buildings vital....

"The fragility of the hills should be the biggest determining
factor in the type of National Park that is developed."

As local residents know, concern for that fragility must guide every
use, whether the use involves heavy farming equipment, heavy foot traffic
concentrated on a portion of prairie or the selection of a building site.

For more than a decade, Iowa geologists have warned of the potential
perils of building on the high mounds of loess.

Their research also resulted in selection of general areas they felt
should be included in any national park (see accompanying map).

In a test given at the conclusion of their intensive study of the hills,
the students were asked which specific features should predominate in guiding
the choice of park sites. Some answers: Wildlife and vegetation . .
. . The geological history and the plant life . . . . Threatened and endangered
species . . . . If the vegetation is healthy, the wildlife are . . . . Visual
resources . . . . Uniqueness . . . . Geology, history . . . . Topography.
If its so rough the public cant use it, they wont . .
. . The potential to educate visitors.

All in all, not a bad analysis for a class working almost entirely from
the reports and observations of others.